


Forever I'm Yours, Forever I Do

by Whiteheart97



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Arranged Marriage, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Falling In Love, M/M, Some angst too maybe, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-19
Updated: 2016-10-18
Packaged: 2018-07-25 10:23:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7529032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whiteheart97/pseuds/Whiteheart97
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alexander Gideon Lightwood is an honorable man, he has always been. He works hard, maybe too hard for his own good, just to please his parents and make them proud of him; he takes care of his little siblings, he’d do anything for them. Though maybe sometimes he is willing to do more than he ought to.</p>
<p>Like right now. Right now he is sitting at a restaurant, right across from a young, beautiful girl who is smiling at him like an idiot. Right now he wishes he had listened to his younger sister, Isabelle, when she begged him not to go through with this little petition from his parents. Right now he wishes he had obliged when everyone who cared about him warned him not to always comply to what their parents would ask of him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Admitting from the beginning that I'm crazy enough to start a new story when I'm not even halfway through my other fic, but I had this idea and you should know by now that I can't keep my hands to myself when Malec is involved.  
> Hope you like the story, I'm enoying it very much while I write it, so I do really, really wish you'll like it as well.  
> As you probably have noticed, the title is a verse from "I Get To Love You" by our lovely Ruelle, and most of the titles of the chapters will as well be from songs by different artists.  
> Please, let me know what you think of it in the comments, it'll mean a lot and will also inspire me to keep on writing :3
> 
> Enjoy the first chapter!! xox ♥♥  
> -C
> 
> P.S.: Since I always update my other story on Fridays/Saturdays, I'll update this one on Mondays/Tuesdays, or at least I'll try, lol.
> 
> ***REMINDER that English is NOT my native language, so sorry for any mistakes, feel free to point them out to me.

_ Prologue _

 

Alexander Gideon Lightwood is an honorable man, he has always been. He works hard, maybe too hard for his own good, just to please his parents and make them proud of him; he takes care of his little siblings, he’d do anything for them. Though maybe sometimes he is willing to do more than he ought to.

 

Like right now. Right now he is sitting at a restaurant, right across from a young, beautiful girl who is smiling at him like an idiot. Right now he wishes he had listened to his younger sister, Isabelle, when she begged him not to go through with this little petition from his parents. Right now he wishes he had obliged when everyone who cared about him warned him not to always comply to what their parents would ask of him.

 

 

 

*** _THREE DAYS EARLIER_ ***

 

“Alec, c’mon, if you don’t get up now you’ll be late for work” his mother gently knocked on his door, waiting for him to get out of the room all dressed up and ready for another hard day at work. Alec started working for his parents’ company soon after he turned nineteen. Yes, he was a student too, he was still working on his university exams and more often than not he did not sleep that much at night, worrying about paperwork and homework. But he was happy with his life, he had a lovely family, a father and a mother that are proud of who he is, three younger siblings who love him endlessly, and a bunch of close friends who pretty much would jump in front of a train if he’d asked them to —not that he would do that, he loves them too—.

 

But that morning was just another day after a long, endless night of studying and not sleeping at all, and he was all but willing to move out of the bed and get to work. He did it anyway; he couldn’t let his parents down.

 

“Hey, Alec” his sister Isabelle greeted him as he stepped out of his room. “Tonight we’re going out, are you joining us?”

“Mind telling who is ‘ _us’_?” he asked curiously.

“Us, as in Jace, Clary, Simon, Magnus and I, duh” she answered, as if it was an obvious answer.

“Mmm… Maybe, let me think about it. Ask again after I come back from work” he planted a kiss goodbye on her forehead and left the house in a rush.

 

 

***

 

 

Well, maybe Alec regretted a little having accepted his sister’s invitation to go out with the gang that night. His day at work had been exerting, even more than usually, and having a night out with friends wasn’t exactly a relaxing activity, but he couldn’t exactly back out now, he had already agreed.

 

So a few hours later he found himself dancing on a crowded dancefloor, surrounded by his siblings and closest friends, having fun, and exerting his body beyond repair. But it was worth it, nonetheless, because he’d never give up the chance of having a good time with his beloved siblings.

 

 

***

 

 

The next morning, Alec was working lazily in his office when a soft knock on the door interrupted him. He let them in, and was surprised to find his parents there. Robert Lightwood hardly ever left his office, only during lunchtime, and it was even stranger having him in his son’s office so early in the morning.

 

“Mom, dad” he greeted them. “Is there anything I can do for you?” he asked, a worried tone clear in his voice.

“We wanted to talk to you, Alexander, is something really important” his mother, Maryse, started. A shiver ran up his spine. His mother never —NEVER— used his full name unless it was something really important.

“What’s wrong? You’re scaring me, mom” he quickly got up from his leather chair and walked to them.

“You better take a seat again, Alexander, this conversation could take long” his father intervened. Alec looked at them with a confused expression, but he obliged and walked back to his chair, where he sat down.

“Could you tell me what’s going on, please?” he was starting to get upset. He hated when his parents came all mysterious about something and then won’t spill the beans.

“Look, son, as you may have noticed, we have lost a bit of our prestige in the last few months, our income has reduced considerably, and some of our clients are leaving us in favor of our rival companies” his father started to explain the issue at hand.

“We need allies, a political alliance to reassure or position and honor, you understand?” his mother exposed with a soft voice.

“I understand what you are exposing, but I don’t get in which way this affects me” he said truthfully.

“I’ll say it clear, Alexander” his father said, with a tone that Alec didn’t like one bit. “We need you to get married” Alec’s eyebrows shot up and disappeared into his hairline, his jaw dropping. They had to be kidding him. He was by no means getting married now, and least of all with a woman of his parents’ choice. No-Way-In-Freaking-Hell.

“You have to be kidding me” he said, out loud this time. He still couldn’t believe what he heard. That couldn’t be real. It had to be a nightmare. Flashes of an old conversation with his sister flooded his mind:

 

 

_“Alec, you can’t hide forever. Someday you’ll have to tell them” Isabelle sounded frustrated. Ever since she found out that her big brother was gay —when he was barely accepting his sexuality himself—, she had been trying to make him see that being gay wasn’t a bad thing; that was the way he was, and no one could help it, no one could do anything but accept it as a fact. But Alec was stubborn, and he wasn’t going to let her tell him what to do._

_“You know I can’t, Isabelle, not now at least. If I tell them, it will ruin my career. You know how father his about homosexuality, he always says something hurtful about gay people; how do you think he will react when he finds out his son is gay?”_

 

 

Yes, Alexander Gideon Lightwood, the pride of his parents, the boy who always did what was required of him, had a deep, dark secret that no one knew about —well, no one except his younger sister and two of his friends: Clary Fray and Magnus Bane—: he was gay. And if his parents ever found out, they’ll have a heart attack.

 

“It’s what we need to you do, Alexander. Please, just think about it. We know the perfect woman for you, she is kind, beautiful, and knows her way around big fishes of the industry. Do it for your family, Alec” his mother pleaded.

 

Well, it seemed like he only had two options now: come out to his parents, or hide so deep in the closet that he might never find a way out again.


	2. Caught in a Bad Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec tells Izzy about the wedding their parents are planning and she prepares a little surprise for him.  
> ·  
> ·  
> ·  
> So basically, everyone is trying to make Alec see that he shouldn't go through with what his parents want of him.

_ Chapter 1: Caught in a Bad Dream _

 

That night, when Alec finally got home from work, he collapsed on the bed, tired and exhausted of everything had happened that day. But most of all, he was sickened of his life, of the hell that his life was slowly turning into. He had to get married. With a woman. Before he even got the chance to experience a real relationship with someone he could love. Someone that, most definitely, wasn’t a woman.

 

Luckily, tomorrow was finally Saturday, and he didn’t have to work on Saturdays because his father let him the whole weekend free so he could study.

 

A soft knock on his door brought him out of his reverie. He growled. Whoever it was didn’t come in the best moment of all.

 

“Come in” he yelled.

“Good evening, Alec” Isabelle said, stepping through the door with a big smile plastered on her face. Alec wondered what her face would look like after he told her the news.

“I don’t think today is a good day, for me at least” he said with a sigh.

“Oh-oh, what’s wrong? Bad day at work?” she rushed over to the bed, where she collapsed right next to her big brother.

“You could say so” another sigh. “It could also be a bad life, but that would probably be exaggerating… Though maybe it isn’t”

“Tell me what’s wrong. You know you can talk to me, right?” as always, her voice soothed him a little. Isabelle had that effect on him, she always knew how to calm him down.

“It’s just… Mom and dad asked me to do them a favor” he explained shortly.

“Another one?” she asked, an amused tone to it. It was true nonetheless, their parents always had something to ask of him and Alec, like the good son he was, always obliged. “What is it this time?”

“They want me to get married” he blurted out suddenly. He knew if he kept it to himself for any longer he would explode.

“WHAT?” his sister asked in utter disbelief. “Alec, they can’t ask you that. And even if they can, you can’t do that. You have to say no just this time”

“But how can I, Iz? It’s not that easy to say no when my answer is always a yes. I’ve never once said no to what they required”

“There’s always a first time for everything, Alec. It’s your life, not theirs. They can’t force you into anything. You can’t marry a woman, Alec, you’ll never be happy”

“But how do I say no without telling them the truth, Iz?” he asked, practically yelling.

“Well then, maybe it’s time for you to tell the truth. Maybe it’s time to come out, Alec, let the world see your true self”

 

Alec replayed that conversation with his sister over and over in his head the whole night. He knew she was right, he knew his sister was telling him to do that —even though she knew he was terrified to do so— because she cared about him, because she wanted what was best for him; she wanted to see him happy.

 

 

***

 

 

“Where are you taking me, Izzy?” Alec asked as he was dragged, blindfolded, into a room and forced to take a seat.

“You’ll see when we’re all here” she answered firmly.

“‘ _We_ ’? Who the hell is ‘ _we_ ’?” he insisted. He hated being treated like a child, and he most definitely hated being blind to whatever was happening around him. He could hear people walking from one side to the other of the room, pacing around nervously.

“You truly are an impatient person, aren’t you?” a familiar, masculine voice asked from the doorway —or what Alec supposed was the doorway, since it sounded far away from where he was sitting—.

“Magnus?” he asked, confused. “What are you doing here?”

“Isabelle asked me to come” he simply answered.

Isabelle rolled her eyes. “Shut up, Magnus, you’re ruining it” she complained. “So, we’re settled. Take your blindfold off, Alec” Isabelle instructed. When he did, he saw all of his friends sitting around the room.

“What are you all doing here, guys?” he asked, clearly without a clue as to why they were here.

“Izzy told us about your… wedding?” Simon started, though he didn’t seem sure of his choice of words.

“Seriously? We’re here to talk about that?” Alec asked with a roll of his eyes. “I don’t have time for this, guys”

“Alec, this is important, please…” Isabelle pleaded. Alec sighed loudly in defeat and gestured for them to speak.

“First of all, forgive us, Alec, but we had to tell Jace and Simon that you are… Well, that you are gay” Clary said, biting her lip, as if embarrassed of what she had done. Alec’s eyes widened in surprise. It hurt. It hurt that he had been betrayed by the people he trusted the most.

“It’s okay, Alec, I always suspected it anyway” Jace shrugged it off.

“Yeah, man, it’s nothing you should be ashamed of” Simon added. Alec looked up at his friends. The betrayal still hurt, but he could handle it better knowing that his friends still thought the same of him.

“So you’re not mad at me because I kept it a secret for so long?” Alec asked in a quiet voice.

“Well, a bit angry at you, yes I am, but I’m glad to know now” Jace answered, a big smile appearing on his lips.

“Alec, you don’t have to do it” Isabelle said then. “You can’t live a life you didn’t choose. You have to stand up for yourself, take control over your life”

“You’re my best friend, Alec, my brother, even if we’re not related by blood, I can’t let you do that, I can’t let you live a lie” Jace intervened.

“I know we don’t always see eye to eye on things, Alec, but this is your life we’re talking about, your future, it’s your happiness what is at risk”

“Alec, man, you have to tell them no this time” Simon added.

“Tell them to fuck themselves, Alec” Magnus said then, taking a seat next to his friend. “We can’t tell you what to do or how to do it, but I do know this is not the life you want for yourself”

 

Alec took a moment to think about everything their friends were saying. He knew they were right, he had figured that much when he talked to Isabelle the previous night. The problem was he didn’t know how to get out of the situation. His parents weren’t used to him saying no, he was always the good son, always doing what they asked him to do, and learning to say no after so many years was hard…

 

And in the end, he found himself in a restaurant on a Sunday night, having dinner with a blond girl that seemed nice enough, but not enough for him to like her —let’s be honest, it was impossible for him to like a girl in that way—. He regretted agreeing with his parents to go on that date to meet Lydia Branwell. He regretted not listening to his friends. He regretted every decision he had ever made that led him to that very moment, sitting uncomfortably in front of the girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO, this was the second chapter! (technically first, since the other one was the prologue)
> 
> As I already said, the title for the chapters will probably belong to different songs. In this case, this one is from "Bad Dream" by Ruelle as well.
> 
> Let me know what you think of it in the comments, and also give me ideas for differents chapters of this fic, bcs I'm not sure of how long will I make this, and I accept prompts for chaps :D
> 
> I hope you liked this!! ♥♥  
> -C


	3. Only One Way Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally some Malec. Alec goes to Magnus for help. Magnus comes up with a plan (let's see where this gets them). Maryse and Robert are not very fond of Magnus :(

_ Chapter 2: Only One Way Out _

 

“What am I supposed to do now?” Alec asked as he entered his friend’s loft.

“Mind telling me what happened, Alexander?” Magnus closed the door after his friend entered the house and quickly followed him to the living area of the loft, where he found Alec already sitting on one of his armchairs.

“I went to that stupid date” he simply said, knowing there was no need to say anything else.

“Oh, dear” Magnus said understandingly.

“I know, I shouldn’t have. I don’t want this, I don’t want to get married, not with some chick at least”

“Why didn’t you try to tell your parents as much?” Magnus questioned him, taking a seat in the loveseat next to the armchair Alec was occupying.

“They would’ve asked for an explanation, obviously” Alec said, as if it really was obvious.

“And don’t you think that ‘ _Mom, dad, I’m gay_ ’ is explanation enough?”

Alec looked at him incredulously. “Are you out of your fucking mind? I can’t just go to them and tell them that I’m gay just like that. They’d kill me”

“Looking at it from a positive side, you won’t have to get married with a girl that way” he tried to joke, but Alec looked at him as if he had gone mad. “Okay, okay, no jokes about it, I get it. So… What are you gonna do?”

Alec looked at him, eyebrow raised, unable to believe what he was hearing. “I came here for advice, Magnus! I thought you could help me”

“But how do you want me to help you, sweetie? If you don’t want to tell your parents that you’re gay, I don’t see another way to get you out of that marriage”

“They’d probably won’t believe I’m gay if I tell them now. They may think it’s a lie and I’m just pretending to avoid getting married with Lydia Branwell”

“You can always prove them” Magnus suggested, his lips curling up in a wicked smile.

“What do you mean?” Alec asked, furrowed brow in confusion.

“I mean, introduce them to your boyfriend”

“I think we have a big loophole here… I don’t have a boyfriend, Magnus”

“Then find someone who is willing to be your fake boyfriend” Magnus suggested, as if that was easy.

“Where am I going to find a fake boyfriend in such a short period of time?” Alec was starting to raise his voice in desperation.

“I could do it” Magnus suddenly blurted out.

 

If he had been drinking something, he would have probably choked and spat it all over Magnus’ floor. Since he wasn’t, he choke on his own saliva and started coughing nervously.

 

“Are you serious right now?” Alec asked in utter disbelief.

“Do I look like I’m joking?” Magnus asked in response.

“It’s hard to tell, since you’re always joking” Alec answered, and to his credit he was indeed right.

“Well, this time I’m not. I mean it, Alec, I’ll be your fake boyfriend; if you want me to, that’s it”

 

Alec paused for a moment so he could think clearly. It had to hand it to Magnus, it was actually a good idea. But, would his parents ever look the same at Magnus or him after doing this? Alec couldn’t say he cared about it, Magnus’ idea was the only way for him to get away without marrying some chick.

 

“Okay. Let’s do it” he finally said, breathing deeply.

 

 

***

 

 

That night, Alec returned home with Magnus by his side. They were going to tell Alec's parents after dinner, and they had agreed to let the rest of their friends believe they were dating. It wouldn't be hard, all of them knew that Magnus was bisexual, and now they also knew that Alec was gay. Besides, Magnus always acted so sweet with Alec, and he was one of the few people to know about Alec's sexuality —he learned about it soon after they met for the very first time—; it would also be way easier to convince Mr. and Mrs. Lightwood if Izzy and Jace also believed it.

 

"Mom, dad!" Alec yelled as way of greeting his parents. He looked at Magnus nervously, silently asking the boy to give him some of his strength.

"Hi, sweetie" Maryse came to greet him. She froze when she saw Magnus standing by Alec's side. Alec should have guessed that: Robert and Maryse didn't like Magnus that much; they thought he was some kind of bad influence for their children —oh, how funny would it be to make them believe Alec and Magnus were dating.

"Hi, mom" Alec kissed her cheek lovingly, trying to light up the mood. "I found Magnus a few blocks away and invited him over for dinner. Hope you don't mind"

Maryse seemed to have suddenly gotten her composure back. "Of course, dear, your friends are always welcome. Hello, Magnus"

"Hello, Mrs. Lightwood" he reached out for her hand a kissed it gently.

 

Maryse nodded, pleased at his attentions, and then led them to the dining room, where Isabelle, Jace, Max and Robert were already sitting.

 

"Oh, Alec, we invited Lydia to dinner as well. She is in the washroom" his mother announced once they were sitting as well. As in cue, Lydia Branwell entered the dining room in that very moment.

 

Alec looked at Magnus startled, but his ' _boyfriend_ ' gave him an encouraging look. Isabelle and Jace looked intently at them, eyebrow raised in suspicion. This was going to be one hell of a dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Malec Malec Malec Malec Malec Malec Malec Malec Malec Malec Malec Malec  
> This is just starting, and I'm super excited bcs, you know, everything I said above, lol  
> I had so much feels writing this, bcs I want them to kiss already, omfg, but it's Malec and I can't control myself.
> 
> Also, I wanted to explained why it took me one day more to update, and that's bcs my computer crashed (quite literally) yesterday, and I couldn't use it in all day, not for even half an hour, and I lost most of the chapter, so I had to re-write :( I have to take it to repair, but as long as I can use it, I will be writing more and more :D
> 
> The title for this chapter doesn't come from a song —or at least that's what I think, since I don't remember ever listening to a song with that phrase—.
> 
> Anyway, hope you liked it! Please, leave kudos and comments if you liked this :)  
> -C ♥♥


	4. Boyfriend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The much dreaded dinner. It's a bit awkward. Jace is shocked because Malec 'is' a thing now, but Isabelle is over the moon with the idea. Their parents may not be so happy though. You'll see.

_ Chapter 3: Boyfriend _

 

“Alec, why don’t you help your sister and me to set the table?” Maryse asked him softly.

“Oh, I’ll help them instead” Jace offered. “Please, mom, take a seat and relax. Let us do all the work”

“Yes, mom, you do that” Isabelle quickly jumped from her chair and ran into the kitchen, Jace hot on her heels. Alec looked from Magnus to Lydia a few times before following his siblings. When he entered the kitchen, Jace and Isabelle were already looking at him, expecting an answer to a question that hadn’t been spoken out loud yet. “What the fuck meant that, Alec?”

“Yeah, man, what the actual fuck? Why is Magnus here?” Jace intervened too.

“He is a friend, why isn’t he allowed to come? You bring Clary and Simon all the time” Alec shrugged.

“It’s not the same, Alec. Simon is MY boyfriend, and Clary is Jace’s girlfriend, it’s normal that we bring them over. But Magnus? You know mom and dad aren’t very fond of him. Why is he here?”

Alec bit his bottom lip nervously. “Okay, guys, I didn’t want to tell you this way, but I guess I don’t have another choice…” he paused and took a deep breath. “Magnus and I have been… seeing each other for a while now”

Jace and Isabelle looked at him, surprise clear on their eyes and dropped jaws. “What the hell?” Isabelle was the first one to ask.

“Yeah, I guess we should have told you a long time ago, when it all started, but… Jace didn’t even know I’m… you know, and I wasn’t sure Izzy wouldn’t jump of excitement and spill the beans about our relationship” Alec shrugged. “Seriously, guys, it’s no big deal…”

“Are you going to tell mom and dad?” Isabelle asked then.

“If they do, mom will have a heart attack. I’m not sure how Robert will react though, but not nicely”

“If I don’t tell them, they’ll make me get married with Lydia, and I can’t do that to Magnus”

“Wow, you’re really smitten with him, aren’t you?” Isabelle asked. Alec instantly flushed bright red, but he nodded nonetheless.

“Is it that obvious?” he asked in a low voice.

“Just a little bit” Isabelle said, smiling widely at him before wrapping his arms tightly around him. “Hey, I’m so proud of you, big brother” she whispered in his ear.

“Isabelle! Jace! Alec!” their mother yelled from the dining room. “What is taking you all so long in the kitchen?”

“We’re coming, mom!” Isabelle yelled back, grabbing the dishes and cutlery. “C’mon, guys, grab the glasses and the food, our guests are waiting for us” Isabelle instructed “This is gonna be fun…” she muttered in a low voice before reentering the dining room with a wide smile on her face. Jace huffed in annoyance when she left, but he did as he had been told and grabbed glasses for everyone and the napkins. That left Alec to take the food to the table. Isabelle was right, that dinner was gonna be fun. A lot of fun.

 

 

***

 

 

“So, Magnus, tell us, what were you doing tonight so far away from Brooklyn?” Isabelle decided to break the ice. They had been dead silent for the first ten minutes of the dinner and it was starting to get awkward, but Isabelle was always there to rescue them.

“Work. You know I work for this enterprise, we plan parties and all that, and I’m planning one for the next week a few blocks away from here” Magnus explained, and it wasn’t exactly a lie: he did work as a party planner, and he was planning a party for next week really close to Alec’s family house, but he wasn’t there that night by coincidence.

“Oh, party planner, uh?” Maryse asked, as if she didn’t know a thing about Magnus after all the years he had been friends with Isabelle and Alec. “Maybe you could organize the engagement party for Lydia and Alec” Alec choked on his food, coughing like crazy at her mother’s statement. Lydia simply flushed, red as a tomato; Magnus bet she’d like to be anywhere but right there in that moment. “Alec, honey, are you okay?” his mother asked, worried for her son’s cough attack.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good” Alec grabbed his glass of water and took a sip. “I just think this is not the best time to talk about… that”

“But why? Magnus knows you better than anyone, I’m sure you’d love any party that he planned” Maryse insisted.

“Mom. This is not the time nor the place for this conversation” Jace cut her off.

“Besides, Lydia and Alec just met yesterday. Isn’t it a bit soon to talk about engagement?” Isabelle added.

Maryse waved a dismissive hand at them. “Nonsense, my dears. Your father and I are really happy to announce that Lydia’s father has gladly accepted our offer of marriage between Alec and her” Alec choked on his food —again—.

“Are you kidding me, mom?” Alec said, startled, after the shock had worn off. “I haven’t agreed to anything yet”

“Oh, honey, I think it was all very clear after you agreed to meet her” Maryse retorted.

“No, it wasn’t” Alec spat, getting angrier with each passing second.

“Alec, please, calm down” it was Isabelle who begged him.

“I can’t calm down, Isabelle” Alec practically yelled at his sister. “I better go to my bedroom before I say something that I shouldn’t” Alec left his napkin on the table before getting up from his chair, rushing towards the stairs and to the second floor, anger clear in every move he made.

“I should go and see what’s wrong” Isabelle suggested, but Magnus cut her off.

“No, Isabelle, sweetie, finish your meal. I’m done with it already, I’ll go see how he’s doing” before anyone could say anything else, Magnus got up from his chair and followed Alec upstairs. He knocked gently on the door he knew was Alec’s and waited for the other man to open it —or at least ask him to come in—. “Alec. Alec, please, open the door. It’s me, Magnus”

 

The door slowly cracked open, and Alec appeared on the other side, his hair messy —even more so than usually—, as if he had been pulling at it, and tears threatening to fall down his cheeks.

 

“Oh, honey” Magnus said, evolving him in a tight hug. He pushed Alec inside the room and closed the door behind them.

“What am I going to do now, Magnus? How do I tell them? My mom seems so… happy with the idea of this marriage” Alec collapsed on his bed, burying his face on his hands.

“Alexander…” Magnus started, “Yes, they seem happy with the idea, but don’t you realize that the simple thought of getting married with this Lydia person is driving you insane? We have to go on with our plan. Tell them you’re gay, tell them we’re dating; they’ll have to accept it”

“And if they don’t believe us? What if they ask me to prove them?”

“Then you kiss me” Magnus blurted out. Alec straightened himself into a sitting position and looked at Magnus intently. “Before you ask me if I’m kidding, I’m not. I don’t mind a kiss; it’s all for show, isn’t it?”

Alec shrugged. “Yeah, I guess it is” he mumbled.

“Right” Magnus said. “C’mon, let’s go back to the dining room. We’ll finish dinner and then, when Lydia leaves, we’ll tell your parents” Magnus took one of Alec’s hands in his in a comforting way.

“Yeah, let’s go” Alec reluctantly got up from his bed, pulling at Magnus’ arm to take him downstairs. Right before entering the dining room, Magnus let his hand slip out of Alec’s. He didn’t want Mr. and Mrs. Lightwood to freak out too soon, though he did miss the warmth of Alec’s hand in his.

 

They remained silent for the rest of the dinner, except for some attempts at conversation from Isabelle that were quickly dismissed by Maryse, Alec or Jace. Neither Robert nor Maryse tried to bring up the conversation about the engagement, since it seemed to bother Alec so much, but the tension between parents and son could be perfectly cut with a knife.

 

Dinner finished, Jace and Isabelle cleared the table and washed the dishes; Maryse and Robert took the youngest of the Lightwoods to bed —even though little Max complained that it was too early to sleep—, and Alec was told to attend Lydia until his parents came back. The situation wasn’t really comfortable. Magnus and Alec were sitting in one of the loveseats in the living room, and Lydia was sitting in an armchair near them. She was trying to make small talk, but Alec wasn’t really in the mood for that. He just wanted to get it over and done with, tell his parents that he was gay and that he was ‘ _dating_ ’ Magnus; that way, he’d be free of this stupid arranged engagement.

 

Maryse and Robert came back right at the same time that Jace and Isabelle joined them. Maryse sent a disapproving look in Alec’s direction —probably because he was sitting in the same loveseat as Magnus instead of sitting with his ‘ _fiancée_ ’; Angel, how he loathed that word right now.

 

“It was lovely to meet you all tonight, Mrs. Lightwood” Lydia said then, her face lit up with a flashing smile.

“It was all our pleasure having you here tonight” Maryse said in return. “When are you and Alec going on your second date? I think you need to start planning the wedding and all”

“Mom, don’t start with this conversation again” Jace warned her, but she didn’t listen.

“What do you have against poor Lydia? She just wants what’s best for all, don’t you, Lydia?” their mother directed the question to the blonde girl, who was shifting uncomfortably on the armchair.

“Yeah, yeah, of course. I’ll do whatever it’s in my power to help you” the girl replied with a smile. Isabelle couldn’t resist the roll of her eyes. The whole situation was beyond her. How were her parents so oblivious? Alec and Magnus had been together the whole evening, could they really not see that they were together?

“Well, like I was saying, you should start with the preparations soon, because we want the wedding to happen as soon as possible” Maryse explained. “And Magnus, I’d really love if it could be you the one organizing the engagement party” the Asian man looked up at her and then he turned to Alec.

“I’m never opposed to the idea of planning a party, and engagement parties are certainly my favorites… But I think it’s all up to Alec” he stared intently at the man beside him. “And Lydia, of course” he added then.

“See, Alec? Not everyone is opposed to talk about your engagement” Alec froze in place at his mother’s statement.

“He’s just trying to be nice, mom” Isabelle intervened.

“What do you mean, Isabelle?” her mother spared her a death glare.

“She means” Jace cut her off, “that no one here is willing to talk about it. Well, except for you and dad it seems”

“How dare you, Jace?” Maryse asked, her face suddenly paler than usual.

“He dares because he wants what’s best for me, not what benefits the whole family” Alec blurted out. “He wants me to be happy, he wants me to have a choice over my life, and he wants me to be able to decide who I want to get married with” he continued. “And I agree with him. My whole life, I’ve always done what you’ve asked, I think it’s time I stand up for myself and live my life as I want to with who I want to” Robert and Maryse looked startled, they had never heard Alec talking like that. But they weren’t the only ones. Magnus stared at him wide-eyed, as if he hadn’t expected that sudden burst of confidence —which, let’s be honest, was probably true—. Jace looked confused; he had never seen Alec so furious about something, but at the same time he was so proud of his brother for standing up. Lydia stared at the ground, ashamed, feeling like she shouldn’t be there in the first place. Isabelle was the only one smiling widely, openly proud of her brother’s braveness.

“Alec, I think we should have this conversation in private” his father stated, yet in shock after Alec’s outburst.

“Yeah? That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you the whole evening” Alec said, raising an eyebrow as if trying to make them understand why had he behaved like he had during dinner. Maryse’s face fell as realization downed on her. Alec was right. He had been trying to tell them repeatedly that he didn’t want to have the conversation about his engagement in that moment and place.

“Why don’t we talk in your office, Robert?” Maryse indicated towards the main corridor, where the office door could be seen.

“I better get going then” Lydia quickly got up from the armchair. “Again, lovely being here and getting to meet you all” she rushed to the front door and left before anyone could stop her.

“Jace, Isabelle, go to your bedrooms, now” Robert ordered. Both siblings shared a look before nodding. Isabelle looked one last time at her big brother, an encouraging smile plastered on her face. Alec smiled back at her, letting her know that he knew what he was doing.

“Alec, I think I should go as well” Magnus got up from the loveseat, looking down at Alec. The taller boy looked at him, quickly getting up as well to grab him by his arm and making him stay.

“No, Magnus… Please stay, I need you” Alec pleaded. He ignored the strange look his parents directed towards them, he just stood there, his hand on Magnus’ arm, grabbing him tightly. Magnus looked at him with understanding eyes and hesitantly nodded. Alec smiled softly at him and started guiding him into his father’s office. He knew his parents didn’t like one bit the way he was behaving with Magnus, but they’d like it even less when they knew Alec was gay.

“What was that all about?” his father asked once they were locked in the office. Alec had taken a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk, Magnus sitting in the other one. His father had sat in his leather chair, and his mother stood by his side.

“Alec, why are you behaving like this? You’ve always been a good son, we’re so proud of you…”

“Wanting to live my life as I want it’s not being a bad son, it’s being true to myself and wanting to be happy” Alec tried to reason with them.

“But you could be happy with Lydia, you could learn to love her” his mother tried. Alec resisted the urge to roll his eyes and laugh at her face.

“How is it possible that you haven’t noticed yet, mom?” he asked, and it was a rhetorical question. “Why else is Magnus here tonight?” his parents looked at him in confusion. “Mom, dad, I’m gay” he blurted out. They looked at him stunned; they clearly didn’t have a clue of this before Alec told them. Magnus grabbed his hand and squeezed tightly, giving Alec his strength and support. “Magnus and I have been dating for a few months now” Alec explained, looking down at their joined hands.

“Wh-why haven’t you told us before, Alec?” his mother questioned him, slowly walking towards him.

“I was afraid of what you may think about me if I told you” Alec confessed.

“Oh, Alec…” his mother muttered, wrapping her arms tightly around her eldest son. “You can always tell me anything, okay?” she pulled back, looking at his son lovingly.

Alec smiled at her, yet unable to believe his mother’s words. “Thanks, mom”

Magnus placed his hand on the small of Alec’s back lovingly. “I think it’s better if I leave now” the man said, looking up into Alec’s eyes.

Alec nodded hesitantly. “Can I come over tomorrow after work?”

“Of course, darling” Magnus smiled at him and caressed his cheek lovingly. “We can have lunch together if you want”

“I would love that” Alec answered, smiling down at his ‘ _boyfriend_ ’. “See you tomorrow”

“Until tomorrow” Magnus said back, kissing his cheek before turning around to leave the room and the apartment.

 

Alec, who had been staring at the door since Magnus left, let out a deep sigh and turned around to face his parents. His mother looked at him with an understanding smile. He knew in that moment that she didn’t exactly like the fact that her eldest son was gay, but she accepted it and she supported him nonetheless. His father was a whole different story.

 

Robert Lightwood stood there, in front of him, with his cold eyes aiming right at his son. Alec wanted to disappear, he felt the urge to run away and never come back. But he stayed, because he knew it would be a huge mistake to leave right then and his father would be even angrier the next time they met.

 

Robert opened his mouth to speak, but his wife stopped him by putting her hand on his arm. “Don’t be too harsh with him, please” Maryse whispered, then she crossed the room and left them both alone.

Robert took a few more seconds to clear his mind, hopefully listening to what Maryse had said before leaving. “This is not what I expected from you, Alexander. I’m quite disappointed in you. But I guess I cannot change the fact that you are… gay” for a moment it seemed as if it physically hurt his father to admit aloud that his son was gay. “And you should know as well that I don’t like Magnus Bane, and I’m sure you could do much better than him” he paused to take a deep breath. “I don’t how I feel about this, or how this will affect the company and the family, but I can’t do much about it. Leave the office now”

 

Alec stared at the void for a few seconds before nodding hesitantly and standing up to leave his father’s office.

 

Well, it could have gone a lot worse than it had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though it may seem a bit rushed to tell Alec's parents already, believe me, it's not.  
> The whole plot for this fic is already planned, so I (FINALLY) know where I'm going with this story, so no, definitely this is not rushed.
> 
> The title for the chapter comes from the namesake song by RaeLynn (the content of the song has nothing to do with the chapter actually, but I just love the song, xD).  
> Also, this is slightly longer, but from now on I think all the chapters will be a lil bit longer :D
> 
> Lots of love for you, beautiful readers ♥♥  
> -C
> 
> ··· ··· ··· ··· ··· ··· ··· ··· ··· ···
> 
> BAD NEWS: This is the last chapter I'm going to post in a while.  
> SO SORRY! But I have a good reason, and that's that I need time to catch up with my writing and I have to study A LOT for two exams I have in September. This being said, if I'm able to write a few more chapters during the nights, I may as well post a new chapter each two weeks, but I won't promise anything.
> 
> I hope you don't give up reading this story while I'm studying :(
> 
> (The good part, is that I have my fics for Malec week ready so you'll get a few little fics from me)


	5. I'm overcome in this War of Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short, cute, Malec scene that I hope you will like and enjoy ;)  
> (Also, Magnus' feelings about Alec are described here)  
> ·  
> ·  
> ·  
> *IMPORTANT NOTE*: Please, read notes at the end, I have an important announcement to make.

_ Chapter 4: I'm overcome in this War of Hearts _

 

Magnus Bane is a free man, unattached, no responsibilities, but very hard-working, and no one has a problem with that. And then he met Alec Lightwood. Alec, who brightens his world up with his sole presence. Alec, who saw a real friend in him. Alec, who made him feel special.

 

Magnus Bane couldn't tell when had he fallen in love with Alec Lightwood, but he sure as hell knew the moment he realized he loved the man.

 

The first time Magnus had flirted with Alec, the young boy had flushed bright red. Magnus had found it adorable, and from that moment he decided he'd flirt with the boy more often only to see that beautiful blush coloring his cheeks. They had their ups and downs, but their relationship was a solid one, they trusted each other and cared for each other deeply.

 

One day Alec broke down. He started crying without an apparent reason, and his sister Izzy was trying to comfort him. When Magnus saw them, Alec finally opened up and told him he was gay.

 

_“I already knew, Alexander.”_

_“What? How?” the boy sobbed, the tears ceasing to fall._

_Magnus smiled down at Alec and wiped the tears away with his thumb. “It doesn’t matter how, I just knew. And I still care about you, your sexuality doesn’t change the fact that we are friends.”_

_Alec looked up at him and smiled sadly through the tears. “Thank you, Magnus. I’m so lucky to have you in my life.”_

_“I’m lucky to have you too.” And then he did something he never thought he’d do: he hugged Alec tightly, as if both their lives depended on that hug._

 

Magnus had learnt that day that his feelings for Alexander were beyond a simple friendship. Magnus felt something for the younger boy that he couldn’t begin to understand himself, but the more time he spent with Alec, the more he fell for him. Given this situation, how could Magnus let the man of his fantasies get into a loveless marriage with a woman? He simply couldn’t. So he did the only thing he could think of. It was crazy? Yes. Could they get into trouble? Of course. But he’d do whatever it took to protect Alexander.

 

The door to his loft cracked open and Alec let himself in. Magnus had given him a key so he could come over every time he needed a place to run to and have privacy.

 

“Magnus? Are you here?” he asked as he entered the living room.

“I’m right here, darling,” Magnus greeted him, taking a sitting position on the couch. “Is anything wrong? You rarely come here unannounced.” That was true, Alec always sent him a message before coming.

“I hadn’t planned to,” he admitted. “But I had a very long day at work and I needed to go somewhere and relax… I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not in the slightest,” Magnus replied with a smile. “Please, do take a seat.” He gestured towards the loveseat where he was laying before Alec came in. “Your sister called me a few hours ago,” he announced.

“Oh… What did she want?” Alec asked, surprised, as he took a seat next to Magnus.

“She said something about a party, one that everyone is attending, and she was wondering if we wanted to go as well”

“ _We_?” he asked, confused for a moment.

“Yes, _we_. Remember we’re pretending to be in a relationship? We have to keep up appearances for now, don’t we?”

“Oh, yeah, sometimes I forget it…” Alec said in barely a whisper. “And what did you say? Are we going to that party?”

“I told her I had to consult with you first. Are we going?” Magnus asked, shifting in his seat to face Alec.

The boy shrugged. “Why not? We could have fun; and it’s not like we haven’t been partying together before, just not as a ‘ _couple_ ’,” he said, literally making air quotes with his fingers.

“Fine then, I’ll text your sister and let her know we’re going.” Magnus reached out for his phone, quickly typing a text for Isabelle. Alec just stared at him while he did so, getting so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice when Magnus put down his phone and reached to grab his hand. “Hey,” he called out. “What are you thinking about? You seem… concentrated.”

“Nothing, just… This whole faked relationship thing worries me so much.” Magnus frowned at this unexpected reveal from the boy. However, when he was about to ask his reasons as to why he was worried, the boy explained himself. “I mean, you know my sister, she’s your friend, and you know Jace as well… I’m afraid they will want us to behave like a real couple.”

“Are you afraid that they’ll want us to kiss?” Magnus asked, unable to hide an amused smirk. The taller boy nodded hesitantly. “So you don’t want to kiss me? That hurts my ego,” Magnus said mockingly.

“It’s not that exactly. It’s just… you’re my friend, one of my best friends, and I’m afraid I will lose you if we take this too far. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea at all, maybe we should forget about it, tell my parents it was all a lie”

“Then they’ll make you marry Lydia, and neither of us wants that. We just have to keep this charade up for a while longer and then we can ‘ _break up_ ’. And it’s okay if we have to kiss, it won’t make things awkward… Or I should hope so, because I really don’t want to ruin our friendship.”

“Are you sure you want to? Because you know how Izzy is, she will start making questions of all kinds, and I’m a bit scared that she might find out.”

“We won’t let her. We can make up the answers to her stupid questions and then make sure to tell the other.”

Alec hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Okay… Yeah, it sounds good.” Alec stood up and slid his hand out of Magnus’. “I think I should go now, you know, to get ready for tonight.”

“Yeah, sure… We’re meeting at 9 with the gang, should I pick you up at 7 and go to dinner? To keep up appearances, of course.”

Alec nodded hesitantly. “Yeah, why not? I bet Izzy will love that.” Alec chuckled before turning away from Magnus and towards the door. When he was about to leave, hand on the handle to pull the door open, he turned around again to face Magnus, who was surprisingly close to him. He chuckled.

“What’s wrong now?” he asked, a small, amused smile never leaving his lips.

“I… There’s something, I… I’ve been thinking since you first mentioned it the other day… It’s… I’m…”

“Just say it, Alexander, whatever it is that’s bothering you.”

“I’ve never been kissed,” he blurted out. Magnus looked at him in amusement, his smile growing wider by the second.

“I know, Alexander, and it’s okay, you don’t need to worry.”

“It’s not just that, it’s… I… I don’t want to kiss you in front of my siblings and that it looks like I don’t have practice…” Magnus looked at him with an eyebrow raised. “Which I don’t, really, but Izzy and Jace think we’ve been dating for a while, and it’d be too suspicious; they’d find out.”

“If that’s what you’re worried about, we can practice… As long as it isn’t too awkward for you.”

“You mean we should kiss? Like now?” Alec asked, suddenly nervous. Magnus found this too adorable and couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s okay, Alexander, we have plenty of time to practice, it doesn’t have to be right now,” Magnus assured him, his soft smile never leaving his lips.

“I-I think we-we should get it over and done with as soon as possible,” Alec said, fast and in a voice so low Magnus wasn’t sure he had heard correctly.

“Sorry, what was that?” he asked, just to make sure it was what Alec wanted.

“I said…” Alec started nervously. “I said that it’s better if we do it now.”

“Are you sure?” Magnus asked again; he didn’t want Alec to regret anything.

The boy hesitantly nodded. “Yes, yes, I’m sure.” _“Or at least I think so,”_ he thought.

“Okay…” Magnus uttered.

 

They stared at each other in silence, Magnus hesitating for less than a second before going on his tip-toes and leaning in to press his lips against Alec’s. It started as a small, soft kiss, a gentle brush of lips, Magnus waiting for a positive response from Alec before deepening the kiss. When the boy tilted his head slightly to the right, Magnus’ hands flew to Alec’s waist, pulling him closer by his belt loops. Alec lifted his left hand to cup the other man’s face, his other hand around Magnus’ neck to bring him closer to himself. And then Magnus pulled away, resting his forehead against Alec’s.

 

“Wow, that was…” Alec said in barely a whisper, speechless, as he tried to even his breath.

“Yeah…” Magnus had to agree. “Are you sure this was your first kiss?”

Alec chuckles, his breath slowly returning to normal. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure.”

“Then I don’t want to imagine what your second one will be like,” Magnus joked, making Alec laugh loudly.

Alec let his hands fall from Magnus’ neck and stared at him for a few seconds. “I guess I’ll be going now. See you at 7?”

“On the dot,” Magnus smiled, opening the door for Alec.

“Right,” Alec mumbled, and Magnus was sure the boy was talking to himself. They smiled at each other for a few more seconds before Alec cleared his throat and turned around to leave without saying another word.

 

As Alexander walked away, Magnus could still feel the ghost of his lips on his own. He had dreamed of that very moment for way too long, and it had been even more perfect than he could have ever imagined. And they’d probably have to kiss again soon. The simple thought of having Alec’s lips pressed against his again made his knees go weak. He wanted it; he wanted him; he had wanted Alec for so long that the thought of possibly losing him was too painful, unbearable.

 

In that moment he couldn’t even remember that it was just pretending, that Alec didn’t love him, didn’t even like him in that way; to Alec, Magnus was nothing more than a friend, and when his parents finally gave up their search to find him a wife, they would end this little charade of theirs, and then Magnus would have to deal with the heartbreak on his own.

 

And damn it, after that kiss, Magnus was screwed. Royally screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm here again.
> 
> So, this is like 2 months late? Maybe more? Idk, really, I lost count. This chapter is rather short and I'm not really happy with the result but I had exams in September and couldn't write much, and then there's this stupid thing called writer's block that shouldn't exist, but it does and it's a bitch. I've been trying to write for this and my other WIP but I'm super stuck with both. So, since I have this whole story all planned already, I've decided to focus merely on this fic to finish all 20 chapters, and once I publish them all, I will start to write the other one again.
> 
> This is a gift for you, because if you're still waiting for an update you deserve the world, but sadly I won't probably update again until I have at least 3 more chapters written (and right now I have none) so I have some backup chapters ready just in case I can't write because of uni and stuff.
> 
> I'm so sorry for this enormous delay, I sincerely hope you didn't grow bored of waiting for this update.
> 
> Love, -C ♥♥
> 
> P.S.: As you all may know already, chapter title is from "War of Hearts" by our lovely Ruelle (Kudos to her for her amazing songs).  
> P.P.S.: Sorry for any and all mistakes, I barely had time to proof-read this :$


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